Abstract
A thin film of SiC was deposited by electron cyclotron resonance plasma chemical vapor deposition (ECR plasma CVD) method for an X-ray mask membrane, and its physical and chemical properties were characterized. The source gases were SiH4, CH4, and Ar, and the stoichiometric film composition was achieved at a source gas ratio (SiH4/CH4) of 0.4, microwave power of 500 W, and deposition temperature of 600°C. At these deposition conditions, the as-deposited film had compressive residual stress of about 100 MPa. According to the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, the microstructure of this SiC was an amorphous matrix embedded with nano-sized crystalline particles. The compressive residual stress could be changed to tensile stress via rapid thermal annealing in N2 atmosphere without any notable structural changes. The membrane made of this SiC film had elastic modulus of 300 GPa, and showed optical transmittance of 85% at 633 nm wavelength.
Published Version
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